Movies by year: 2002

(Sssh, the spoilers will hear you!)

Films seemed to stop pulling punches in 2002, and we got a lot of 'both-sides-of-the-coin' sort of selection: 28 Days Later and Bubba Ho-tep redefined Zombie culture in very different ways; The Bourne Identity, xXx and Undercover Brother were three completely different takes on the spy genre; Minority Report, The Transporter and Catch Me If You Can gave us great long-form chases; Secretary and My Big Fat Greek Wedding showed us very different ideas of love; and Hugh Grant reinvented himself with About A Boy.

But there was a little one that came and went without much fuss, though it deserved more...

Dog Soldiers

Kevin McKidd is Private Cooper, attached to a British army unit on training manoeuvers in the Scottish highlands with Sergeant Wells (Sean Pertwee) and four other soldiers - they are meant to be finding a unit of SAS soldiers - but when they find them, they've been torn to pieces, with only one survivor: Captain Ryan (Liam Cunningham), who is raving about what attacked them.

Needing immediate medical attention for several of their number, and pursued by the suspiciously wolfish thing that took out Ryan's unit, they are rescued by a zoologist who happens upon them on the road and are taken back to her family home. But they are pursued, and there's more than one of the creatures. Ryan appears to be healing faster than expected and is a serious asshole, which doesn't help matters. Things only go downhill from here.

I bought this movie sight unseen based on the description, and I am so happy I did. The story's fun - there's plenty of dark humour to go around - and the effects are all practical, including the creatures themselves. Tough guys, tough girl, werewolves, explosions, guts hanging out, swords - what are you waiting for? Go out and find this film!